Originally studying law in St. Petersburg, Stravinsky switched to musical composition and became a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov in 1902. During this time, he composed Fireworks which impressed Diaghliev and he commissioned Stravinsky to write some orchestrations. He then asked him to produce the ballet score for The Firebird. In 1910, Stravinsky went to Paris where he composed Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913), both of which were very successful. In 1914, he moved to Switzerland, but returned to Paris in 1920. In 1939, he emigrated to the United States and became a naturalized citizen in 1945. During the 1920's and 1930's, he concentrated much of his efforts on neo-classical works such as Pulcinella (1920), Octet for Wind Instruments (1923), Oedipus Rex (1927) and Symphony of Psalms (1930). In 1951, he completed his opera, The Rake's Progress, probably his final attempt at a classical approach. From then until his death, his music underwent a stylistic change that incorporated dodecaphony, or the twelve-tone system devised by Schoenberg. His other works include Renard (916), A Soldier's Tale (1918), The Wedding (1923), Persephone (1933), Symphony in C (1940), Orpheus (1947), Cantata (1952), Canticum Sacrum (1955) and The Flood (1962). |
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